🗣️ CLEFT SENTENCES & INFORMATION PACKAGING – Emphasis and Focus in Advanced Speech (C1)
Level C1 (Advanced – Emphatic Syntax and Clefts)🗣️ C1 CLEFT SENTENCES CHALLENGE
STEP 1 DI 10
📌 Lesson Contents (C1)
✨ It-Clefts: Isolating and Highlighting
At C1 level, to focus attention on one specific detail (the subject or another element), we split the sentence into two parts using the structure It + be + focused element + that/who:
- Basic sentence: *John stole the document.*
- ✅ It-Cleft (Focus on the subject): “It was John who stole the document.”
- ✅ It-Cleft (Focus on time/place): “It was yesterday that we signed the contract.”
🔄 Wh-Clefts / Pseudo-Clefts
Pseudo-cleft sentences usually begin with What and guide the listener to the key point of the sentence (usually at the end, after the verb is):
| What you want to do | Advanced C1 Example ✅ |
|---|---|
| Emphasising a need | “What we need most at this stage is absolute transparency.” |
| Emphasising an action | “What I did was inform the board immediately.” |
🚀 Fronting: Moving Elements to First Position
Fronting means putting at the start of the sentence an element that would normally come later (an object or an adverb of place/manner) to create strong cohesion or dramatic impact:
- ✅ Object Fronting: “Such details we cannot ignore.” (Instead of: *We cannot ignore such details*).
- ✅ Adverbial Fronting: “On the table lay a confidential letter.”